A recent report in Nature* describes a potentially new way of treating patients with type-2 diabetes. The approach involves block an enzyme involved in the degradation of insulin, thereby boosting insulin levels. The authors identify inhibitors of the insulin-degrading enzyme IDE. A physiologically active IDE inhibitor was identified using a DNA-templated macrocycle small molecule library. The inhibitor binds to IDE in a binding pocket located distally from the catalytic site. Obese mice treated with the IDE inhibitor showed improved glucose tolerance upon administration of oral glucose. Interestingly, the IDE inhibitor regulated multiple hormone levels in these mice, including glucagon and amylin, in addition to insulin. This study suggests that inhibition of insulin degrading enzyme could be a novel approach for the treatment of diabetes.
- Maianti, et. al. (2014). Anti-diabetic activity of insulin-degrading enzyme inhibitors mediated by multiple hormones
- Nature, doi:10.1038/nature13297
.Hosein Kouros-Mehr
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